Like a long cardiac massage, negotiations have continued in Vienna since April 6 to save the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPoA). Americans and Iranians do not speak to each other directly, forcing delegations from other parties involved (France, Germany, United Kingdom, China, Russia, European Union) to endless shuttles. A cautious optimism and a feeling of urgency merge among the actors of the file.
Its complexity is linked to the political and security context: on the one hand the Iranian presidential election to come in June, and on the other hand the clandestine operations, generally attributed to Israel, carried out against the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic. Like the spectacular explosion at the Natanz site on April 11, which prompted Tehran, in response, to resume enrichment to 60% of uranium, a serious violation of its commitments under the JCPoA .
But this escalation did not lead the signatories to a break, in the name of the superior objective of the rescue of the JCPoA, from which the United States had withdrawn in 2018. Two groups of experts were formed: l ‘one works on the US sanctions to be lifted, the other on the steps Iran will need to take to bring itself back into compliance with the JCPoA. Two roadmaps are in draft form. A third group began its work on April 28 in order to sew these procedures together.
Complex equation
Among the diplomats involved in this delicate exercise is the Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov. A connoisseur of the file: when the JCPoA was signed in 2015, he was head of the non-proliferation and arms control department in Moscow at the foreign ministry.
In an interview with World, Mr. Ulyanov confides his hope for diplomatic success in the coming weeks. “I believe that the United States should take the first step, because it is they who left the agreement, thus creating many problems with their policy of maximum pressure, he says. It would be fair. Initial steps on both sides would create a more favorable atmosphere for the negotiations, but it is up to Washington and Tehran to decide. ”
That being said, the Russian diplomat, who met the American special envoy Robert Malley on Thursday, still has an idea of the possible form of this first engagement. “I see no reason why the United States should keep Iranian assets frozen in Iran, South Korea or Japan, he asserts. This money does not belong to them, it was seized illegally. It is high time for the United States to release him, as a sign of goodwill. “
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